Broken Arrow
by 13EvansNoodle
Summary: A girl who he has never met before suddenly walks into Remy's life with a warning and a kiss. After that, everything seems to spiral out of control for him, as he is hunted by a mysterious group of mutents who call themsevles the Celestials.
1. Mixed Messages

**A/N: So I may or may not have seen 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' and just loved it, sorry if advance if anything seems out of place, I'm hoping that by setting it at Wolverine times it won't mess with anything in the X-Men trilogy era.  
Please leave a review and tell me what you think :)**

Chapter 1: Mixed Messages

"_She's one of those girls  
They're nothing but trouble  
Just one look and now you're seeing double  
Before you know it she'll be gone."  
~Avril Lavigne, 'One of Those Girls'_

"So boys, what'll it be?"

Remy cast his eyes lazily over the table, spinning his cards in an arc over his head. It was late, and only three people sat with him around the table. That was the bad thing about the night wearing on, the number of people who wanted to try and put their luck against his lessened. Still, three was plenty, he just wanted to play.

One man grunted and shoved a pile of chips forward, "$200."

Remy's smirk turned marginally appreciative, as rest of the men shoved an equal sum towards the middle. _That's the good thing about playing late,_ he thought to himself as the cards flew over his head and into his left hand, _the money goes up as the people go down._

"Alright then, let's get to it."

He moved to begin dealing out the cards, when he felt someone lift his hat up off his head. The other men at the table had gone silent, and Remy could read the partly curious, partly appreciative glances in their eyes. Remy didn't turn around, he could hear whoever it was moving from behind him. A girl, or young woman, she couldn't be that far over 18, if she was over it at all. She had his hat perched on top of her long hair, in this lighting he couldn't make out a colour, but he could just see her dark eyes sparkling with amusement beneath the edge of his hat. Quite casually, she pulled out a chair and sat herself down opposite him.

"Deal me in."

"You old enough to be out this late, little darling?" he asked; resuming sending the cards in an arc over his head from hand to hand.

Her smile was almost predatory, and it was definitely flirtatious, "Why? Want to walk me back to my room?"

"Maybe later, little darling," he smiled lazily, "If you want to play, do you have the money?"

"Hmm," she pulled out a little bag and tipped a pile of chips out in front of herself, "What's the starter?"

"$200," Remy said; his yes never leaving hers.

Without dropping her own gaze from his, the girl counted out the right number of chips, and pushed them towards the middle, "There."

One of the chips seemed to roll away from the rest, and if Remy hadn't been keeping his eyes locked on hers, he would have noticed that it was her hand that knocked it away from the rest, and towards him. As it was, her eyes darted to it for a brief moment, before returning to his, and that he _did_ notice.

He let the chip come towards him, and began rolling it atop his knuckles, "Don't let that one get away."

"Keep it," she said; flipping another into the pile, "Call it a gift."

Something on the chip caught his eye as it flashed over his hand, and he caught it quickly, holding it flat in his palm.

_Run._

That was it, no sign of its worth in dollars, no naming of any kind, just that one word. This was no poker chip. He flicked his gaze back to hers, no more sly smirk, just a frown pulling his brows together low over his eyes. She gazed back at him with a perfectly innocent expression, a slightly flirty smile playing around her mouth, but for a brief second he thought he saw a glimmer of warning in there, before it was pushed down again.

"Well then, thank you kindly," he said; and slipped the chip into a pocket.

A frown flashed across her face, gone so quickly that he'd never have seen it if he hadn't been looking for something. She'd wanted him to follow the advice on that chip. Remy wasn't going to lie, after that little note he was on high alert for any kind of attack, but he didn't know her, he didn't know who might have sent her, and her certainly didn't know if running would put him into a trap or get him out of one. The Island might be shut down now, but that didn't mean that mutants were any safer, from either the humans or their own kind, he'd learnt that the hard way.

"What's your name, little darling?" he asked; sending cards out to each of the players.

"Jacinda, Jacinda Monteverdi," she replied.

Her confidence was firmly back in place, and Remy now wondered what she was masking with it.

"Pretty name," he acknowledged, "What brings you to these parts, Jacinda Monteverdi?"

"Oh, call it a gambit," she said with a smile, taking her cards in hand.

He felt shock splash over him, like a bucket of icy water, and he clenched his facial muscles to avoid making any kind of expression, though he did feel his hand twitch towards his staff. He had a similar reaction whenever he heard that word, the name he'd been given on the Island, but normally he could discount it as just someone using it for legitimate purposes. Not this time, he'd heard it, the _slight_ emphasis on 'gambit'. She knew what it was. The others sharing their table had turned their faces down to glance at their cards, not Jacinda, she had picked them up, but kept her eyes level with his the whole time.

_How did she know?_

She was a mutant, she had to be. He had vivid memories of the last mutant to come to him and know his name, Logan. Where he was now, Remy had no idea, he seemed to have lost all of his memory somehow during whatever had happened on the Island. Was she one of the mutants _from_ the Island? It was possible, he hadn't known everyone in there, or she might have been brought in following his own escape. Question was, was she a safe mutant to be around?

"A gambit, huh?" he kept up conversation with her as cards were traded in, "You wouldn't happen to have had any trips to an island recently, would you?"

She laughed, "No such luck, haven't been out of the states, yet."

There was absolutely no flash of recognition on her face of any kind, but considering the breaks in her mask that he'd seen already, maybe she'd just gained more control about letting lies slip through.

They said no more as the game went on, but he was aware of her eyes every time they flicked back to him. She held conversation easily with the rest of the men keeping company on the table, and that gave Remy the chance to study her as best he could. She seemed to externally confident and calm, and he was inclined to think that it might just be how she was, if he didn't see the occasional tired slump of her shoulders when she thought no one was looking. Such an act it must be, to be that tiring, and she also seemed to be nervous. When he was able to catch a secret look out of the corner of his eye, her own brown gaze darted around the room, as if she were keeping an eye on something.

When the game drew to a close, she showed her hand with a laugh, "A loss, I think."

It was the lowest in the group, only a pair. Still, Remy doubted that she'd come in here with any hope of playing a good game of poker, that had never been what she was out to win.

"Yes," he agreed; laying down a royal flush, trumping all the other hands.

Groans rose up from the other men as Remy raked in his winnings, but he only kept his lazy smile on, "Good game, boys, and girl."

"Another round?" one of them asked; eager to try and get his money back.

The rest of them quickly assented to this, and Remy cast a questioning glance at Jacinda, "Little darling, you going to stay?"

"I think not," she got up with a laugh, "But thank you for the game."

"Ahem," he coughed; making her turn around with a curious look, "You've still got my hat, I'll be wanting that back if you're leaving us."

She flicked her eyes upwards, as if just remembering the hat perched atop her head, and a sly smile spread out over her face.

"So I do."

She walked towards him in a manner that could only be called a saunter, and reached up to remove the hat with her left hand. He turned in his seat to keep her in his line of sight, and soon she stood right in front of him, with her left hand extending to replace the hat onto his own head. But he was taken by surprise when her right hand managed to make its way unnoticed around his neck, and she had suddenly pulled herself closer to kiss him about as thoroughly as he'd ever been kissed before. As surprised as he was, that didn't stop his own hand from reaching up to twine into her hair, and hold her closer.

He heard several wolf whistles as they kissed and, trustworthy or not, she was pretty, and a good kisser in his opinion, he certainly wasn't going to complain. When she pulled away from his lips, she didn't pull away from him entirely, and with her hair curtaining off her face from the world she could have been doing anything.

"_Whatever you do, do _not_ follow me,"_ she whispered urgently into his ear, a note of desperation in her voice.

Before he had time to react, she had pulled away from him fully, and that confidant smile was back on her face, "If you still wanted to walk me home, I'm staying in the third room upstairs."

The way in which she didn't wait for his response, only walked towards the stairs leading up to the rooms here, made it clear that she wasn't inviting him to walk her up there, she was going to make him follow her up. Or rather, not to follow him, if her little whisper was anything to go by. Still, why play this big flirt game, only to say something like that? Put with the strange chip weighing down his pocket, and he had what felt like a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Then again, all women could be confusing with only a little effort on their parts, the hard part for men was keeping up with them.

He was really considering listening to her warning, as much as that kiss had _really_ made him want to follow her, his instincts told him that he should just stay put and play out a few more hands. But then he saw something odd, as Jacinda made it to the bottom of the stairs, another stranger reached out and grabbed her arm, leaning close to furiously whisper something to her. She gave a laugh and calmly brushed his grip off, but something in the fast pace with which she took to the stairs said that the incident might not be as fun as her laugh made it out to be.

Scraping his chair back, he pocketed his cards and took up his staff, "Sorry, boys, I think I'll call it quits now for myself."

"I would, if I had an offer like that waiting," one of them said, "Off with you, save me from losing more money."

He clapped the man good-naturedly on the shoulder, and then made his way to the stairs. As he passed, he saw the same stranger that had grabbed Jacinda, but all he could make out in the shadows, was a pair of gleaming blue eyes.

A shudder ran down his spine, and he felt the urge to run, but he squashed it flat. He had no idea what he was in, who these people were, or why they wanted him. The only way he'd find out without being caught, was if he could get it out of Jacinda nice and quickly.

He quickened his pace on the stairs, he wanted answers, and he wanted them now.


	2. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

**Thanks for the reviews: Robotic Worm. Goddess of Destiny  
Not sure how old Remy actually is, guessed at 26, and only lightly skimming history here because I don't know the comics and don't want to muck anything up. Sorry if I do anyway.  
Another thing I should've mentioned in the first chapter, I've only seen the movie, and this Remy is based off of Taylor Kitsch's portrayal. I looked up the comic Remy, but didn't want to attempt to portray him, as I haven't read the comics and thought that it would be safer to go with movie Remy. Which is why he may be missing some aspects he'd have in the comics, or just seem different in general.**

Chapter: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

"_I see you walk away walk away  
So why you looking back at me like that like that  
If you're not messing with messing with me  
Then why you go on and kiss me like that like that."  
~The Wanted, 'Say It On The Radio'_

Jacinda paced the floor of the small room furiously. She hoped against hope that Remy wasn't going to follow her up, she hoped that he'd be the one smart one and do as she said. She paused when she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and felt a sick churn in her stomach. The black halter and mini-skirt was what she always had to wear out on nights like this, or some similar kind of outfit, it made her feel dirty. Continuing her pacing in an effort to get her mind off _that_ side of things, she began to fiddle with her wrist cuff.

"Please, please, please, don't come up," she muttered urgently to herself.

At each pivot her long, caramel blonde hair swung in an arc around her shoulders, and her eyes were constantly flitting to the door. She rubbed her arm, she could still feel the imprint of Kieran's fingers where they had dug hard into her skin.

"_Don't mess this up, Jace. I had to pull a lot of favours to keep you around after the trouble you caused, don't waste my efforts."_

A shudder ran over her, the trouble that he'd spoken of wasn't something that she wanted to dwell on. It seemed these days as if half of the things that crossed her mind were things she didn't want to dwell on. Still, she was risking it every time she tried to warn them, ever since she'd found out the truth, but it was worth it if it worked. The trouble was, it almost never did. She'd gotten too good at her act.

"Now, after all that downstairs, what could have you pacing around like a nervous animal, looking for a way out?"

She spun around from the wall upon hearing that drawling, southern, voice. Her eyes widened, she'd been so sure this time. With his history, Remy seemed like the one who would truly run if she told him to. Quick as an arrow, she darted across the room and shut the door before he could turn around to. Whirling back to him, she pitched her voice as low as she could for it to be heard.

"What are you doing here?"

A lazy smirk spread across his face, but it didn't reach his eyes, "You invited me, little darling."

"I also told you not to listen to me," she hissed back, "Men! You're all idiots!"

"Ouch, the hurts," he moved slowly to put himself between her and the door.

It was the way he moved, the measured grace, but also the coiled tension. She knew then, that he _did_ at least suspect something.

"You have to leave, get out of here, sneak out the window," she said urgently, "You should never have come."

He arched an eyebrow, "Can you blame a man after getting mixed messages like that? You come into the bar, dressed in a nice outfit like that..."  
Jacinda felt her cheeks tinge red as he ran his eyes appreciatively over her form, and wished more than anything that she had a coat of some description, but she settled for folding her arms over her chest.

"And you do a very nice flirt-act," he continued; he began to step closer to her, "No matter how many times you say 'don't listen', a young lady like you can't give a man a kiss like that, and then not expect to be followed."

With every step he took towards her, Jacinda took one back, but that was only ever going to work for so long. She had to stop when her back collided with the wall, and she wearily watched him come closer, having to tilt her head back to keep him in eye contact when he was right in front of her. There was a dangerous gleam in his eye that had previously been hidden.

"But, as charming as you were, and as truly tempting the offer, I didn't follow you up for the kiss," his face looked slightly considering, "Well, not entirely for that."

"Why?" she asked; vainly attempting to push herself further into the wall. It was stupid, with her mutation, but old habits die hard.

"I want to know how you knew that name," he said; the humour had vanished from his voice now.

She licked her lips nervously, "Do you mean Gambit? Or Remy Etienne LeBeau? Or the fact that you were born here, in New Orleans, 26 years ago? Or maybe you mean how you were cradle snatched from the hospital and raised among a guild, also doing time as a street thief, before being adopted into the LeBeau clan?"

As she went on his face became surprised, but then it darkened dramatically, his staff moved faster than a whip, and suddenly it was pressing her closer to the wall. She couldn't feel it on her neck, but she could feel the tingling sensation of pressure where it would have pressed against her skin.

"How?" he almost snarled, "Were you on the Island? Do you work with Stryker? Or some other group out to get mutants?"

"I've never been to or on the Island, I know about it, but that's it," she replied as calmly as she could, "I don't work with Stryker, but you could say 'sorta' to the latter option. In case it wasn't already obvious, I was here to 'get' you."

The look in his eyes said that he didn't know how much of that to believe, "Would you care to elaborate, little darling?"

"Do you think you could move back a bit?" she asked; his proximity was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

The only response she got was an increase in the tingling sensation, meaning he'd pressed his staff even closer against her neck. She sighed.

"Stryker's group wasn't the only gathering of mutants, not my a long shot, you must at least know that there are lots of little bands of us?" She got a curt nod in response, before continuing, "One of them is called Celestial, and that's what I'm...tied up in."

"You're a mutant too?" he inquired, "What do you do? Should I be expecting any nasty surprises?"

Jacinda heard a harsh bark of laughter come from her mouth, "Oh, I don't think so."

He frowned, and that frown said he wanted his first question answered, now.

"Move back," she commanded, and when he hesitated, she elaborated, "If you want to know."

He took a step back, just one, and not a big one, but it was enough for Jacinda to squirm past him and stand in the middle of the room. Taking a deep breath, and squaring her shoulders, she screwed her eyes shut.

"Hit me, swing the staff at me, and hit me," she instructed.

After several seconds, and feeling nothing, she opened her eyes slowly. Remy had moved only slightly, so that he was facing her, but his staff was still held loosely in his hand, and he showed no sign of going to swing it.

A frustrated sigh slipped out of her, "Trust me, just hit me, put your chivalry down for a minute."

"You sure?" he asked; hefting his staff, and looking doubtful.

"For god's sake!" she threw her hands up in annoyance, "I'm _sure!_"

"Okay," he still looked a little unsure of what he was doing, a stark contrast from before.

That was all the warning she got though, before the staff was swinging in a cold arc towards her head. As she always did, Jacinda winced and felt herself shy away from the blow a little, but she kept herself standing tall. The staff kept coming, and then it seemed to bounce back off a wall just millimetres from her head. A shiver ran over her frame, just because she didn't feel blows, didn't mean that she was okay having things thrown at her. Still, it had been necessary here.

"The hell..." a look of surprised crossed Remy's face.

Whatever had been holding him back before, no doubt the same inhibition that many men had about hitting a girl, was gone. He swung again, and again, but nothing he did would make the staff hit her. Jacinda tolerated it, for a while, but having someone hit at you over and over got old fast.

"Are you quite done?" she snapped; reaching out and grabbing the staff.

The force of his blow drove her back a step, but she didn't feel anything. She felt her eyes widen, was that how hard he'd been going at her the whole time?

"That's, certainly an interesting one you have there, little darling," he noted; yanking the staff out of her grip.

"It runs all over me, just a few millimetres above my skin, a kind of force-field," she explained, "It's not there all the time, you can touch me normally-"

"Yes, I know that," he interjected; a smirk twisting his lips.

Jacinda glared at him for a second, before she collected herself again, "Nothing can hurt me, if anything coming towards me would cause me damage, pain, or inflicted any kind of wound on me, it gets stopped. That's ranging from you and your staff, to punches, to even flu-shots. I've had it since I was 14."

He nodded, taking in her little spiel on her mutation, "I assume you know what I can do, considering you seem to know everything about me."

"Only the database facts, I don't know your favourite colour or anything," she said with a shrug.

"Red," he supplied.

Jacinda felt a small smile curve her lips, but she squashed it down, now was not the time, "You have to go."

"You said that when I came in, but I still don't know why," he began idly twirling his staff around his fingers.

"Because, if they catch you, they'll kill you," she said bluntly.

He didn't fumble in his spinning, but she thought she saw a little glitch in the smoothness of it, "Now why would they do that?"

"That part's too big to explain right now, but please, listen to me, you have to go," she pleaded.

She was beginning to get nervous, he'd been up here for a while, and pretty soon Kieran would come up and do his part of the job. Time was ticking, and she didn't know how much sand was left in the top of the hourglass.

He had no reason to trust her, not after the mixed messages, and her half-truths that were all she could tell him in this timeframe, but a decision shifted in his eyes, and she knew that he'd do as she asked. Only, she hadn't banked on all of his plan.

"Alright," he agreed, "But how to get out? I assume that your man is still waiting down in the bar."

"Don't call him that," she snapped icily. _Wait, had he seen Kieran?_ She thought to herself. That wasn't good, Kieran never let himself be seen, unless he felt he had to 'warn' her.

He looked slightly taken aback, and by slightly, she meant that he'd arched one eyebrow, "Right. Well, whoever these 'Celestial' people are, if I go out the window, and they ask anyone at the bar, they'll know what happened, and I'll likely not make it out of New Orleans."

"It's better than nothing," she pointed out; raking a hand through her hair.

"I do have a better idea though," he continued, "You come with me, get me through the bar, and we'll get out of the city nice and quietly."

Of all things she'd been expecting, _that_ hadn't been one of them. In a rare moment, Jacinda was rendered a little speechless.

"Uh...wait, me, go with you?" she clarified; after gaping.

"I think you want to," he replied.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, "Exactly what gave you that impression?"

He gestured to her, "You did, everything that you've told me indicates that you want out of whatever it is you're in, and I'm willing to give it to you."

She felt heavily suspicious, "Why?"

"Maybe cause I want to, maybe because I need you. Either way, it's a way out, little darling," he said.

Jacinda bit her lip and resumed pacing. It was a way out that she hadn't had before, a legitimate one, and one that couldn't lead Celestial to what she didn't want them to find. But could she trust Remy? She looked him over as she paced, as she'd said, she knew the database facts about him, but was that enough to trust him? Was she trading one evil for another?

As she though, Kieran's warning flashed into her mind again. She shuddered as she pictured him, bright blue eyes cold with rage, and the menace he was able to radiate. Kieran, or a stranger? It was no contest.

"Alright," she lifted her eyes to his, "I'll go with you."

He nodded, "Here's what we'll do, I'm assuming you're not the only one here, so we're going to have to get out and make it look natural for you to be leaving with me. Could that work?"

She bit her lip, "I don't know, they keep a close watch, but it should be okay. I can signal something. Let's go, the sooner we leave, the better."

He caught her around the waist as she made her way to the door, "Now after the little show you put on downstairs, no one is going to be expecting either of us down for at least an hour." One hand came up and tucked a lock of hair gently behind one ear, "So we're going to sit tight here, and when we go down arm in arm, they'll think what they want, and to everyone normal in the bar it will just be their Poker King having a fun night."

"An hour?" she echoed.

He smirked, "A girl like you doesn't give a man like me a kiss like that, and then not have anything happen afterwards."

Jacinda sighed, and pulled away from him, "Fine, but we have to be quick."

He tipped her a wink, "I think I can manage that."

Time went on slowly, and after ten minutes had passed, Jacinda thought she might go insane from worry. She's resumed pacing again, while Remy was quite content to just sit in a chair and play with his cards. She had no idea how long Kieran would remain content to wait downstairs for her. Every instinct was telling her to run, but she couldn't get out without Remy, any more than he could get out without her. This was her one chance, the only shot she'd have, and she didn't intent to waste it.

"You're gonna wear a hole through that carpet," he noted absently.

As nonchalantly as he was moving the cards from hand to hand, his sharp gaze was a sharp contrast.

"I'm fine," she snapped back; nerves making her edgy.

He seemed to think about something for a moment, then he rose slowly and walked over to her. She watched him come, wearily, and he noted that with a small smirk. He took the hat from his head, and flicked it over to her from a metre away, it landed neatly atop her own.

"You hold onto that when we go down," he said.

"Can we just go now?" she asked; angrily tugging the hat straight.

He laughed, "If you want, there are other ways to pass the time, little darling."

Before Jacinda could round on him and snap at him for the innuendo and wink, the door creaked loudly to announce someone else's presence entering the room.

"Oh dear, am I interrupting?"

Jacinda's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, this wasn't good.


	3. Dead-Zone Fight

**Thanks for the reviews: Goddess of Destiny,  
That crazy-ass moment when your mate in Sydney tells you that the Chinese Gardens are closed for the filming of 'The Wolverine', and you're stuck in another country... my life. **

Chapter 3: Dead-Zone Fight

_"You wanna be the one in control  
You wanna be the one who's alive  
You wanna be the one who gets old  
It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time."  
~30 Seconds to Mars, 'Edge of the Earth'_

Jacinda felt her eyes widen, "Kieran, what are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you, you've been making me awful nervous of late, Jace," he said; stepping further into the room, and closing the door behind him.

"Since you asked so nicely, yes, you are interrupting," Remy put in; moving closer to slide an arm around Jacinda's waist before she knew what was happening, "So you can go now."

She saw Kieran tense up the moment Remy's arm touched her, and felt the fear inside of her grow. For someone who'd never met Kieran before, Remy had just picked the _perfect_ way to get under his skin. This was going to get ugly, fast.

Gritting her teeth with effort, she forced the flirty personality up again, and turned a smile in Kieran's direction. It was a weak shot, but she was clutching at whatever straws she could find, no matter how thin they were. If she could just get Kieran to move away from the door...

"Kieran, I'm a big girl now, and I thought we agreed that you wouldn't check up on me," she said sweetly; it was worth a play if she could make him think that she was still working on Remy.

He folded his arms across his chest and levelled a stare at her, "Maybe I just wasn't all the comfortable with the extra mile you took this time."

She winced, but made it disappear from her face as soon as she could. He was talking about kissing Remy, not something that was normally in her job description. To be quite frank, she hadn't planned on it either, but the fool man hadn't given much sigh of listening to her, so she'd had to think up some way to talk to him straight. She didn't even want to _think_ about his all too enthusiastic response, that was not going to help her clear her head right now.

"Charming as your little conversation is," Remy drawled, "I think that we have somewhere to be, don't we, little darling?"

Jace turned from Kieran to look up at him, and for all the calmness in his tone, Remy's eyes were dead serious as they gazed into her. He was planning something. Jacinda had thought that he'd unintentionally wound Kieran up by coming into contact with her, but Remy was more observant than she'd suspected. Looking back at Kieran, the anger in his eyes was slowly bubbling over, and she knew a fight was seconds away from ensuing.

But Remy didn't know, he didn't know Kieran's power.

"Wait-"

"Hold onto my hat, little darling, I'm fond of it," he cut her off.

After that, several things happened very quickly. Kieran surged forwards without warning, making for Remy, and Jacinda found herself suddenly staring at his dark leather duster, having been forcefully thrust behind his back. In a flash, he had swept the deck of cards out from his pocket and was sending them in Kieran's direction, glowing pink with the energy he'd charged them with. But they did nothing to stop Kieran, when they came within a metre of him, the cards simply dropped to the floor. They lost all charge and energy, becoming a simple deck once more.

"The hell!?"

Remy had moments to collect himself, before Kieran collided with him. Remy had the advantage of his staff, but he was unable to charge it with any kind of force to then hit Kieran with. Jacinda backed away from the fight, she knew that Kieran was strong, but she didn't know how strong Remy was.

"You could've warned me!" he shouted; ducking a punch form Kieran.

"I tried to!" she exclaimed.

That was Kieran's power, there was a reason that people had started calling him Dead-Zone. No matter what your mutations was, within a metre or so radius of Kieran, it became useless. Even hers.

Remy grunted in response, but not really more than that, he was too focused on keeping Kieran at bay. The fight was going on furiously, Remy's staff a whirl, and Kieran moving faster than she'd seen him. He must have been doing extra training, she didn't remember him being this good, or maybe that was just because he was angry. She hated standing here, feeling like she was doing nothing, but she didn't want to just wade into the fight and get in the way until she knew a way in.

Eventually, Kieran managed to get in a punch that knocked Remy flying, and Jacinda darted up to him, putting a hand on his chest before he could stalk towards Remy.

"Kieran, stop!"

"Why?" he paid her barely any mind, "You know the process, Jacinda. I'd have thought your last attempt to change things would have taught you not to question the order."

"Would you calm down, for one minute?" she demanded, "Kieran, you're acting insane."

"I second that," Remy put in; on his feet again, and watching Kieran wearily.

A frown flashed across Kieran's face, and his blue eyes narrowed, "You two seem to be almost working together...Jacinda, what have you done?"

Before she could reply, Remy beat her to it with a mocking laugh, "Oh, lots of things."

Jacinda shot him a warning glare, and returned her attention to Kieran before he could barge past her, "Stop! Do you have any idea how much of a ruckus you two fighting up here is going to cause?"

"I've fought tougher just a couple blocks from here," Remy said conversationally, "Much tougher, this is like a stroll in the park."

Men. They couldn't help themselves. Jacinda was once against shoved aside, this time a lot more roughly, and she stumbled, falling to the ground.

Remy made a tutting sound, "Knocking a girl over, how inconsiderate."

He knelt down, as she'd sprawled near him, and offered her a hand, "You alright, little darling."

"Keep your hands off her," Kieran ground out.

Remy moved away from her, and stepped forward to catch Kieran's fist before it could strike him in the face. He tossed his staff in her direction, and did the same with the next blow from Kieran. Jacinda's reflexes weren't fast enough to catch the slim metal pole, she was too focused on the power struggle now going on between the men, as each tried to gain more leverage on the other. Kieran trying to push forwards and strike Remy, Remy holding him back and trying to dislodge his footing.

"Little darling," Remy's voice was only slightly strained from his efforts, "Now would be a good time for you to head on down, I'll meet you in a few."

"Jacinda, don't you dare move!" Kieran barked; his voice sounding more forced than Remy's.

She wasn't sure what to do, she couldn't fight Kieran, it was simply stronger than her, and Remy seemed to be able to hold him off. But she didn't want to just abandon him. She hesitated.

"Go," Remy said; his tone more commanding than she'd ever heard it, "Take my staff."

She picked the slim rod of cool metal up from the ground, and began to make her way towards the door.

"Jacinda!"

Kieran tried to break free to hold her back, but Remy's grip on his fists tightened, as Jacinda slipped out of the door. A grim expression settled on his features.

"So, just you and me now," he said; locking eyes with Kieran.

Blazing anger stared back at him, "Not for long."

Remy knew he would win this fight, it was just a matter of how long it would take. The other man was clearly not in control, letting his anger fight for him, and that would be his downfall. He grunted slightly, as Kieran tried to exert more strength. It may be his downfall, but until that time, it damn well gave him more strength.

"How much did she tell you?" Kieran asked.

"Not much, and none of your business," he replied.

"You can't trust her, you know, she'll only use you."

Remy didn't deign to respond to this, he'd been saving up a reserve of strength, and he used it now. With a great wrench, he twisted Kieran to the side, and tossed the other man away. Kieran landed hard on the ground, and in the couple of seconds that it took him to get his bearings, Remy was on him in a flash. One quick blow to the head and Kieran went under with a low groan.

"Right then," Remy tugged his duster straight.

Crouching by Kieran's now unconscious body, he deftly searched all of his pockets. Remy was a little surprised, no weapon of any kind, the man must think that he could take on whatever foe came his way with only his bare hands. Well, he was strong, Remy himself could attest to that. Still, he found a wallet with several hundred dollars in cash.

"Thank you kindly," he spoke to the other man as he pocketed the money.

He nearly tossed the wallet down next to the body, but something caught his eye, and he flicked it open again. The corner of a picture was showing, curious, Remy pulled it out.

"That's interesting..." he mused; and the picture followed the money into his pockets.

He made his was back down to the bar casually, hopefully no one would wonder about the missing stranger for a while, and by then he and the girl could be long gone. She herself was standing with her back flat against the wall, none of her former confidence on display, and she seemed quite anxious in fact. His staff was tightly clenched in her fist, and her eyes were staring at the staircase so intently, he wondered that she didn't bore a hole through it. When she saw it was him though, she relaxed almost instantly, he'd guess that maybe 60% of the tension left her, but the rest remained in the weary look in her eyes.

"Thanks for holding onto those, little darling," he greeted; plucking the hat from her head, and depositing it onto his own. As he went to take the staff back off her, his hand rested over hers for a brief moment, and he almost chuckled at the speed with which she withdrew her hand. She certainly was a far cry from the girl who'd walked in a kissed him.

"Is he...?" her eyes flitted to the stairs once again.

A wry smirk twisted his lips, "Think I'd kill him?"

"I don't know," she replied; quite honestly.

"Having seconds thoughts?" he inquired; leaning closer, "Worried I'll kill you in your sleep?"

He watched her eyes closely, as she pushed aside a flash of fear, and stared right back at him, "Is there are reason to your attempted menacing?"

"Shh," he tapped a finger against her lips, "Not so loud, we're meant to be a happy one-night couple."

That comment did get him a glare, and he was beginning to see what kinds of things would get that effect out of her.

"Just tell me what happened," she near hissed.

"I'll tell you all about it, later," he replied; draping an arm around her shoulders, "In the meantime, we need to move away from here. Think you can manage some more of that girl I first met?"

It was startling. In a moment she went from seemingly nervous around him, as well as angry as his antics, to having a smile curve her mouth as she slipped an arm around his waist.

"Did you have any place in mind?" she inquired.

Remy arched his eyebrows sceptically, she was certainly a fast act to try and follow. That flirting tone was back, but he knew what she was really asking, though he certainly didn't mind the rest of the world thinking something else was being inquired about.

"Don't you worry, little darling, I have just the place," he assured; leading her from the bar, to the numerous whistles from other patrons.

Silently, he bid farewell to the city once more. He didn't know how long he'd be on the run for this time, but he knew he'd come back home when it was all over. As he thought that, a shiver ran through his nerves, and he had the suspicion that things might not be over as quickly as he'd thought. Looking down at the slight girl tucked against his side, Remy wondered just how much trouble she'd brought into his life.


	4. Let's Leave Town

**Thanks for reviewing: Goddess of Destiny**

Chapter 4: Celestial

_"Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you  
I want nothing more than to see you there  
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away  
We'll be lost before the dawn."  
~Evanescence, 'Before the Dawn'_

Remy led her down a street to the right of the bar, and after a few moments of walking, Jacinda tried to slip her arm from around his waist.

"Easy, little darling, don't be so hasty," he said; the arm around her shoulder tightening.

"No one is around," she pointed out; after a glance so that he couldn't prove her wrong.

"What's the rush?" he asked; a smirk flickering onto his face.

She opened her mouth to say more, but closed it again. Arguing with Remy on matters like this reminded her of running into a brick wall, the impact didn't hurt her, but it was still a futile practise. As they walked on in silence, her mind drifted back to the bar, and the events of that night. She had never suspected that it would end up like this, her plan had just been to keep the night as ordinary as possible. Warn the mutant, and hope like heck that this time they'd listen. Well, he'd listened alright, just not in the exact way she might have preferred.

And the kiss...she wasn't at all sure what they had been about. She must have been mad, she'd known Kieran was there, what the hell had she been thinking? Surely just leaning in to whisper would have been enough, and served her purpose.

_"Always go for the full effect, Jace, that way you're never at risk of destroying the believability."_

That had always been her mother's advice on acting, but Jacinda had never suspected that it might someday have her kissing a total stranger. She shot Remy a careful look from the corner of her eye, having to tilt her head back a little due to his greater height. Why had he helped her? He certainly had no reason to, why chose to take a random girl out like this?

"You know, little darling, you don't have to sneak looks, even if it is cute that you try," he said; turning his gaze down to meet hers.

Her own gaze dropped automatically to the pavement, an action which earned her a chuckle. Damn the man.

"Where are we going?" she asked; trying to distract from the situation.

"I want to pick some stuff up from my place, then we're leaving town," he replied, "A nice road trip."

"Road trip? Is that what you call being chased?" she demanded.

The arm around her shoulders squeezed again, "Easy, take a joke."

"Joke-"

He talked over her before she could continue her protest, "Would you rather freak out? If so, be my guest, little darling. But do it silently."

There it was again, the command in his tone that belied his normally flirtatious words, but both carried that same air of confidence. She wondered where people really got this confidence from. It had always been strange to her, something that was very easy to don as a mask, but never anything that she could truly summon from within herself.

_"You're just faking it till you make it, babe."_

A shudder ran through her as her brain recalled Kieran's words to mind. Thankfully, Remy didn't know the true cause, though he did feel it due to them practically being pressed up against each other.

"Cold?" he asked, then didn't wait for a response, "Here."

Pausing in the street, he pulled away from her and swept the duster off, draping it around her shoulders.

"Oh, no, I'm-"

He tapped a finger against her lips to silence her, "Never let it be said that Remy LeBeau ain't gentleman."

Several retorts popped into mind for that comment, but Jacinda decided to just let it slide, tugging the coat on straighter as they walked on. Remy didn't reply the arm around her, thankfully, and she _was_ glad of the warmth the coat brought, the outfit she had on wasn't meant for outside at all.

Now that she was out of Celestial, how much time did she have before Kieran went looking? That depended entirely on what Remy had done to him. Her sole consolation was that he didn't know where she'd hidden what she'd freed from Celestial. That thought was light a bolt of lightning through her. She was out. Free, even.

"I can find him..." she murmured.

"Hmm?" Remy leant down to catch her words.

Jacinda didn't not trust him, but out of pure habit and learned weariness, she decided not to mention anything just yet.

"Do you actually have a place? Or were you planning to lead me in circles around New Orleans?" she asked.

"I'm sure that was longer than your original sentence," he noted.

When she just ignored him, he continued, "Next block."

She nodded, "Just, can you tell me straight, what did happen up there?"

"We had a little fist fight," he shrugged, "Nothing I couldn't handle, I think he relies on mutants being unable to fight _without_ their powers. Growing up like I did, you learn all kinds of ways to stay alive."

"So he's...unconscious?" she guessed.

"I thought a sleeping body would get me less suspicion than a dead one," he replied.

"How hard did you hit him?"

He looked down at her with an amused smirk, "You're awful curious about the gory details, for a young lady."

"Is that patronisation?" she inquired; narrowing her eyes angrily.

"Not at all," he assured; but that smirk didn't move a hair, "And I hit him hard enough, he won't wake for a while, and he'll have a damn bad head when he does."

Jacinda accepted this silently, and wrapped herself up in her own thoughts. As soon as he was conscious, would Kieran start looking? Or would he go back to Celestial and alert them? To do so would mark her as a traitor, and they'd all come after to kill her. Was she overestimating Kieran's level of care if she suspected that he would probably try and track her and Remy himself? She didn't want that to be the case, but what if it was? It wouldn't be the first time.

"Little darling, where are you off to?"

Jacinda stopped and turned, Remy was standing a few buildings behind her, having stopped beside a doorway. She hadn't noticed that they'd reached their destination, and a flash of embarrassment crept up within her. She most certainly did _not_ rush back with overdone speed, but her pace unfortunately was quicker than the sedate walk she'd wanted.

"My name is Jacinda, you know," she snapped.

He was smirking again, "I know."

She'd known him for less than a night, and already that smirk was fast becoming the most infuriating expression she'd ever seen. She gave a start when he reached out to her.

"Whoa, what's got you all jumpy?" he asked.

"What are you doing?" she questioned right back.

"That's my coat," he reminded, "And it has my key."

"Oh...right," she went to remove the coat, feeling more and more like an idiot as the night wore on.

"Keep it," he stopped her with one hand on her shoulder, and simply reached into one of the pockets, withdrawing a key before Jacinda really had time to react. Some of her shock must have shown in her expression, because he laughed softly as he opened the door, "Welcome, little darling, to my humble abode."

Jacinda stepped inside quickly as he held the door open for her, it was dark in the house, and what little light there was outside was shut out when Remy closed the door. Running her hands along the wall, Jace searched furiously for a light switch. The dark made her uncomfortable, it always had.

"What's the matter? Don't like the dark?" Remy's voice sounded his usual blend of amused and flirtatious.

"Just turn on the light!" she replied.

Surprisingly, his hand came out to cover hers on the wall, and pull it away. Keeping a firm grip on her, Remy led her a couple more steps into the house, before flicking a light switch. As the room became illuminated, Jacinda let out all of the air that had become pent up in her lungs. Taking a look around the room to calm herself down again, she took stock of the small flat. It was not at all overly luxurious, which she found slightly surprising for some reason, with only a few furnishings in the main room. She guessed that Remy didn't spend all that much time here, either that, or he was as messy as any stereotypical man.

"You like?" he inquired; from right behind her.

She flinched, dropping the hand she'd forgotten she'd been holding, and found his amused green eyes only inches from hers.

"Do you hover like that for your own personal amusement?" she demanding.

"Maybe," he replied; that smirk dancing out onto his face again, "Though it's a shame you're so jumpy, I might have held onto your hand a little longer."

Jacinda did _not_ blush, she was only imagining the heat in her cheeks, "Do you ever stop?"

"Stop what?" his feigned innocence wouldn't have fooled even the most idiotic jury panel.

She decided not to follow on down that line, remembering her comparison of him to a brick wall.

"What are we doing here? I thought we'd be, I don't know, leaving."

"You might like just heading on off into the wild, little darling, but can you tell me when your little club will leave?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "You're...not their primary concern, but if you know about them, they might put more effort into finding you."

"Them, not us, already? Just how long have you been waiting to get out?" he inquired; beginning to move around his flat to gather things up.

"That's not a concern," she replied.

Remy gave only a scoffing sound as he moved on to a different room. Jacinda looked down at the outfit she still had on under the coat. Running away hadn't been on her plan tonight, and as a result, this was all that she had. A skirt and halter were _not_ practical travelling clothes, and she guessed that Remy would only lend his coat out for so long.

"Hey, I don't suppose you have any clothes that might fit me?" she called out.

She really hadn't been expecting a positive answer, but that would have been higher on her list than the small bundle that was flung in her direction. She managed to catch it, just, before it would have collided with her face.

"You can get changed wherever you want, little darling," he said; now leaning against a doorframe, "Best be quick."

"Where's your bathroom or something?" she inquired.

He grinned, "If you can find it, you can use it."

Jacinda struggled very hard not to swear at him as she stalked around the room, looking for a place to change, all the while feeling his eyes following her. Not that she thought for a moment that she'd rather go back to what she just left, but she had the premonition that travelling with Remy was going to be the most exhausting thing she'd ever done.

Eventually, she found what was probably his bedroom, judging from the _bed_, and from his chuckle behind her. She darted inside quickly, not wanting to think what might have been said in the murmur she thought she heard. Deciding it was probably not relevant to ask _why_ he had clothes of a girl's size in his house, she disentangled what articles there were inside the bundle. A pair of jeans that looked like they might be only a little too long for her, a black singlet, and a checked button-down shirt.

She changed and quickly as she could, eager to be out of the other outfit, which she promptly stashed in his rubbish bin. She'd be quite happy to never see it again. The only thing that remained of her previous attire was the cuff circling her left wrist, but that was hers, and she didn't take it off. There wasn't a mirror, but looking down at herself, Jacinda felt more comfortable in the new clothes. At least, she felt more prepared for whatever was coming. Picking up Remy's coat, she wouldn't need it now, she felt a strange sense of curiosity.

"Jace, really," she murmured to herself, "This isn't smart."

Still, she wasn't sure who she was really dealing with in Remy LeBeau, so she gave in to the little urge. Slipping her hands into the numerous pockets lining the coat, they didn't reveal much. Another deck of cards, cash that she guessed he'd won, but little else. Until she got to one on the inside, there was a picture there. A picture of her.

She very nearly dropped it, it wasn't just any picture, she remembered it coming from her aunt's wallet. She'd thought that it was still there, along with everything else since Tatum's death. How had he gotten it? She was suddenly all that much more worried about what she'd gotten into.

"Remy?" she called; leaving the room; coat draped over one arm, the picture held only by the tips of her fingers.

"You ready, little-" he cut off when he saw what she was holding, "Little darling, you went through my pockets."

She didn't bother to deny the accusation, "Where did you get this?"

"I was going to ask you about that, later," he said; plucking both the coat and picture from her, "It was on your friend."

"Kieran had it?" she questioned; despite her eyes widening in surprise, she wasn't as surprised as she perhaps should have been. Her mind was busy with another possibility...if Kieran had it, how had _he_ gotten it...

"Just out of interest, who is this fella?" Remy inquired, "Friend? Brother? More than both?"

"None of the above," she shot back, "Kieran is..." she sighed, "Look, it's a long story."

He nodded, "Fair 'nough, let's get on the road, then you tell me."

"Alright," she agreed; slightly nervously.

Just before letting her out of the house, Remy paused in a position that trapped her between him and the wall.

"Oh, and don't do through my things again, little darling. Understand?"

She felt a mild stab of guilt, "Yes, and I'm sorry."

He gave her a quick nod in response, and then slipped out of the house, waiting for her to follow, before they walked off into the night again.


	5. Celestial

**Thanks for reviewing: Goddess of Destiny**

Chapter 5: Celestial

_"If we set off now, we'll have the highway to ourselves  
And you love the little signs of life  
You love it when we lose our minds  
You love these little wars of words."  
~Snow Patrol, 'The Weight of Love'_

Jacinda winced as the engine in Remy's car slowly roared its way into life. The old land-rover looked like it might even outdate her, or maybe a hard life had just given it an older appearance than it deserved. Either way, she didn't like the noise it made. Even as someone who probably knew as much about cars as a sheep, she didn't think that it spoke all that highly of the running quality of the vehicle.

She opened the door cautiously, as if it might fall off in her hands, but she didn't get into the car.

"Are you sure that this is...ah, safe?"

Remy looked a little offended, and proudly ran his hand along the dashboard of the car "Of course she is, won her in a game, runs like a dream."

"Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that, considering she sounds as if she won't run at all, dream or otherwise," she said skeptically, running her eyes over the interior.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

Her eyes snapped back to his. Had he been mocking her? Trying to gauge his expression, she wasn't sure if he was truly just talking about the car, or if he was making a hint at earlier. He sighed at her still lingering hesitance.

"You have three options, little darling. One; I drive off, two; you get in the car, three; I _put_ you in the car," a smirk spread on his face, "I'd love it if you picked option three."

With that line, it took under a second for Jacinda to hop into the car and shut the door, "Just drive."

"I make you uncomfortable, don't I?" he observed; pulling out onto the road, the engine now being much quieter as it was in motion.

"Not you exactly, just the way you act," she replied.

"Maybe uncomfortable is the wrong word," he mused, "Maybe you're just drawn to my natural charms, and are trying to hide it."

"Uncomfortable is actually starting to look like a very nice word," she muttered; turning her gaze out the window, "Where were you planning on going?"

"Away, I hadn't figured much further than that," he admitted, "But life's more fun like that, sometimes."

"They'll come looking, for you," she pointed out, "You do know that."

"Certainly do now," his hands clenched on the steering wheel for a brief instant, before relaxing once more, "But hell, I doubt that your fella is really after me. You were gonna explain that to me."

She ignored his tail-end comment, "There's a small town, in Texas, it's called Dillon. Not really well known, certainly nothing that would be on their list of places to check out."

Remy reached out and turned her face to look at him, "You're avoiding the question."

"Alright, fine!" she jerked her chin out of his grasp, "How much do you want to know?"

"How about you start from the beginning?" he suggested, "Seems like we got a lotta driving ahead of us, and you've got a pretty voice to listen to."

Jacinda rolled her eyes at his comment, and then fell into silence for a little bit. She had to sort out the story in her mind, filter it out. He didn't need those details, not yet at any rate. She turned to fully face the front again, and drew her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms protectively around her legs.

"Celestial is an organisation of mutants, I'm not sure how many there are altogether, it's kind of spaced out. At the main base, there are 7 of us including Kieran and I."

"What's the big thing with 'Celestial', why the name and the uh, hunting other mutants. If you're all the same as us, why go after your own kind?" he interjected.

"Celestial isn't just a group of any kind of mutant, it's a collection of 'celestial' powered mutants," she explained.

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"Would you like to hold your questions and just let me finish?" she demanded.

He flashed a brief grin, "My apologies, won't happen again."

"It means mutants whose powers stem from only themselves, they need nothing else to channel through," she continued, "Mutants with energy manipulating abilities, or mental ones, things like telekenisis, or the shield thing I do, or Kieran's nullifying field."

"I'm guessing from the bigshot name, you all think pretty highly of yourself," there was no mistaking the scorn in his tone, "Even among the outcasts like us, you get a bunch of people thinking they're better than everyone else."

"Pretty much," she agreed, "Celestial does think that we are a higher breed of mutant, the mutants with powers like elemental manipulation, physical differences, they are called basics."

"Ha," he scoffed, "You people really are up yourselves."

"And then there are mutants like you," she went on.

He arched an eyebrow, "Like me? Little darling, I'm one of a kind."

"I'm talking about mutants they don't really fit into either one of the categories. With you, you manipulate kinetic energy, but you do it through a medium like cards or that staff."

"Let me guess, we're 'basic' too?" he drawled.

The corner of her mouth quirked up in a half-smile, "No, you're tainted."

Remy processed that for about a quarter of a second, then threw back his head and roared with laughter. This was too much. What was this? Supremacist mutants? Jacinda watched him, his reaction having caught her off guard. What about this was exactly funny? He caught her watching him, and flashed a grin.

"Sorry, but now I just feel like I'm being chased by a tree-house club of deluded mutants," he said.

"A tree-house club of deluded mutants who'll kill you given half the chance," she elaborated bluntly, "That's what they do. They hate the basics, so they kill them wherever they find them, they think that they are a lesser kind of mutant. The problem with you tainted, is that you could be either, and that can't be tolerated. So they hunt you down as well."

"Were you there to kill me?" he asked, "Or was that his job?"

"His," she confirmed, "I...I'm just sent is to...to distract."

He chuckled, "I don't doubt; you do a very good job."

Jacinda decided to simply ignore his comment, and him altogether. She could feel his gaze on her, or at least, she thought she could, his eyes had better be on the road. When she looked to check, they were indeed turned in her direction. She automatically turned her head so fast, that she wasn't sure if her hair whipped around to hit his face or not. Again, he laughed.

"Oh shut up!" she exclaimed, "Do you like aggravating me? Because if you do, then you must certainly be having a whale of a time."

He changed the subject, as always, "So, how old are you?"

"Uhh, why do you want to know?" she inquired; frowning.

"I'm a curious person, and really, if we're going to be travelling together, will knowing or not knowing your age be anything important?"

Jacinda remained silent for a moment or two, contemplating lying and making herself older, but eventually she just sighed and admitted, "I'm eighteen."

"Eighteen?" he repeated as almost a question, letting out a low whistle from between his teeth, "How does a pretty young girl like you get mixed up in all of this?"

"It's…it's not a happy story," she warned.

"Little darling, after everything that happened tonight, I wouldn't have expected it to be," he said, "Whatever did happen, you seen to want out pretty bad, you're driving away with a total stranger after all."

She decided that the best way to start, might as well be the bluntest, "My parents died when I was thirteen years old, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they got shot dead."

Jacinda had to stop for a moment there, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to get a grip on the raw emotion now swirling through her. Five years, it had been five years, how could it still hurt like this? She could still see everything that had happened that night as clearly as yesterday's memories, clearer at some points. She didn't realise that tears had appeared, until she felt someone else's hand brushing them away.

"What are you doing?" she asked; jerking away, and furiously wiping at her own face.

A wry half-smile twisted his lips, "It's called comforting, little darling. People do it for others when they're upset."

She felt suddenly guilty. How many times had she longed for the simple act of comfort? How long had it been since she'd felt it without the hovering sense of expectation for something in return? She'd gotten a lot jumpier than she realised. Bad as she felt, the moment had passed, and both of Remy's hands were now firmly back on the steering wheel. She chose to just continue with her story, rather than bring it up again.

"I went to live with my Aunt Tatum," she continued, "She lived in Detroit, so I had to move from Chicago, it wasn't so bad though. Aunt Tatum wasn't...she wasn't really set to become a guardian, she did her best and everything, she was just busy with work a lot. We-"

"We?" he broke in; turning towards her once more.

"I meant I," she covered up hastily, "Just a little tired, I guess."

She searched his eyes, was he suspicious? She hadn't had time to prepare herself for that one...damn, she'd held the edited story so carefully together in her mind, she silently begged him not to press further. Eventually, there was grudging acceptance in his eyes when they pulled away, but she wasn't sure that she saw all of the suspicion dissipate.

"I just tried to focus on moving, and school, and anything but what had happened. Everything was just so up-in-the-air, it all seemed like too much at times. About a year after the move was when I discovered my powers."

"How did you do that? Considering yours aren't exactly all that noticeable, and somehow I can't see you getting into a fight, though picturing that-"

"It was at home," she cut in; and began to play idly with the cuff on her wrist, "An accident when I was making dinner, and the knife just didn't cut me. I was kind of freaked out, and I didn't tell anyone, even my aunt. It was easy enough to manage, so long as I stayed out of trouble, and came up with some excuse at immunisation time at school."

"But someone found out," he said softly.

"Yeah..." she agreed, "After years of being careful, I uh...got hit by a car."

Remy winced, and clenched the wheel for a second, "Ouch."

"Except not really," she said, "I don't think I've ever run as fast as I did that day, I didn't think that anyone got a real good look at my face, but I suppose someone must have. It was only a couple of days after that when Kieran came knocking. He wanted me to join Celestial, told me all about the mutants, and told me that I wasn't alone."

"I think every mutant organisation out there gives the same spiel," Remy noted.

"Probably," she agreed, "Anyway, I told him no. As much as I found my powers strange, they didn't hurt me or anyone around me, and I didn't want to just leave my aunt. Whatever her faults as a caring guardian, she loved me."

Jacinda hadn't realised that she'd fallen silent, until Remy nudged her gently.

"But..."

Shaking herself slightly, she took his lead, "But Kieran had also mentioned Element, which is a rival group of basic mutants. He didn't mentioned much about them though, and he accepted my refusal."

"Wait, this was the same guy from the club?" Remy asked; his brief meeting with this Kieran hadn't given him the impression that the man would back down so easily.

"I thought that would be the end of it, but the next day..." she paused to take a couple of deep breaths, "The next day, my aunt died, killed in a freak accident. The day after the news came, Kieran appeared again. He told m that Elementals had organised the death of my aunt, and that they'd come for me next, unless I went with Celestial."

"What good timing," he muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?" she asked; not having heard him clearly.

"Oh, nothing," he replied quickly, pausing to give a wide yawn, "So, have you always done the whole tipping off thing? Or am I just special?"

"You're not," she snapped, but her heart wasn't really in it, "I started doing that after I found out what was really happening. I always thought that the mutants were just taken away, kept somewhere, where they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, but-"

"They were killing us," he guessed, and her silence was all he needed for confirmation; Remy felt a wave of anger sweep over him. Mutants had a hard enough time keeping themselves safe from humans, now they were going off against each other as well? How were they ever going to survive and be accepted if they couldn't even find unity within themselves?

"No one listened," she whispered, "They never listened to me."

"Can you blame them? You put on quite the contradictory show," he pointed out.

"I have to, I don't have a choice, he watches to make sure, and if I don't he'll-" abruptly, she cut herself off.

"He'll what, little darling?" Remy inquired.

"Things would just turn out worse," she replied; after a moment.

Remy nodded, letting that one slide, and they carried on driving in silence. Her story was strange, and had more holes than a beggar's clothes, but most of it rang true. Bits though... it was as if she were hiding something. Still, he wouldn't press her, just yet. The both of them were harbouring secrets for the time being, he wasn't about to bare his soul to some girl he'd just met, and he couldn't expect her to do it either.

After a while, the road began to blur in front of his eyes. He snapped himself upright again, and flicked his eyes to the glowing numbers on the dashboard. 3:12. Christ. He was used to staying up this late, but not normally after a night like that. As he became conscious of the time, another yawn opened his mouth so wide, he thought he heard a faint crack in his jaw. Casting a glance to his right, he saw that the girl had her eyes wide open, staring at the road ahead of them, did she sleep during the day or something?

"It's getting late, I'll pull over and do you want to take the wheel? Or we could stop in at the next motel..."

Jacinda jumped in her seat, and it took a lot of will power not to show any acknowledgement to his suggestive tone on the latter option, "Are you sure that you're that tired?"

He gave a short bark of laughter, "If you want, little darling, we can keep on driving 'till I fall asleep and crash the car."

There was no way that she wanted to go with his second choice, considering that she doubted he'd get two different rooms, but she also couldn't go with the first. She bit her lip, and refused to look him in the eye.

"I can't drive," she admitted.

"Can't drive?" he repeated; sounded slightly shocked, and giving her a once-over kind of glance.

"Yes, you moron!" she retorted.

If she'd been expecting more questions or teasing, she didn't get it. All Remy did was smile slightly.

"Well, motel it is then, I certainly had hoped for that option."

Jacinda groaned, and sank a little in her seat, "Just drive, Remy."


End file.
